WE AGREE THAT THERE IS A REAL NEED NOW FOR UNIFICATION. THIS TYPE OF ARRANGEMENT ALWAYS MOVES SLOWLY, THEN SUDDENLY TAKES A FORWARD LEAP, MOVING RAPIDLY. YOU NEED TO RECRUIT SOME OF YOUR MORE DYNAMIC MEMBERS TO WORK ON THIS. THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO SELL THE GROUP — AND WE DO NOT MEAN TO NEW STUDENTS, WE MEAN TO OLD STUDENTS. THERE ARE MANY. THERE ARE MANY WHO ARE USING THE GROUP FOR NEEDED CONTACTS.

Are we starting a church?

WE WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.

Should we telephone people to tell them about the meetings?

IT IS VALID AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO STIPULATIONS PLACED UPON THE PARTICIPATION AT THIS POINT, OR ANY PROMISES MADE THAT CANNOT BE KEPT.

Are ideas enough?

ASSOCIATION WITH THOSE WHO ARE LIVING THEIR IDEAS IS MORE VALUABLE. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. MANY IN THE GROUP ARE ISOLATED.

Does what we’re doing parallel the Eleusinian way of doing things?

THIS CAN HAPPEN ONLY WITH A HIGH PRIEST WHO CAN DO THE RITUAL WORK. THIS SHOULD BE AN ADEPT REALLY, BUT SOME SUCCESSFUL PRIESTS WERE SIMPLY OLD PRIESTS IN DOMINANCE. RITUALS SOLIDIFY GROUPS IN MANY INSTANCES.

Was Christ influenced by the Eleusinian Mystery religion?

NOT PARTICULARLY, BUT WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SOCRATES AND EPICURUS, AS WELL AS THE ALEXANDRIAN BROTHERHOOD, WHICH REALLY WAS A COUNTERPART TO THE ELEUSINIAN SCHOOL.

How does Bacchus, the god of wine, fit into Eleusinian mysteries?

IT HAS BEEN SAID BY US BEFORE THAT RITUALS UNIFY AND BRING TOGETHER MANY WHO OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE. THE SAME GOES FOR FESTIVALS. THEY PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY THE FOOL IN A CONTROLLED, SAFE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR ALL SOULS IN ORDINAL GOALS AND ROLES. SAGES AND PRIESTS NORMALLY NEED NO SPECIAL INVITATIONS TO BE HAMS, BUT THE SAME IS NOT TRUE FOR MANY ARTISANS AND WARRIORS. MANY ARTISANS ARE ESSENTIALLY NONVERBAL, EXCEPT FOR THOSE FEW WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY CENTERED. WARRIORS FEAR THE LOSS OF RESPECT THAT ACCOMPANIES THE LOSS OF DIGNITY. TIMID SOULS OFTEN BLOSSOM DURING FESTIVALS. THIS WAS KNOWN IN THE ANCIENT TIMES, MORE SO THAN TODAY. THE BACCHANALIAN CULTS AROSE FROM THE CELEBRATION OF THE HARVEST, AND WERE SPONSORED AT FIRST BY ATTIC [from “Attica”, the district in Greece in which Athens was the principal city] VINTNERS. THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN THAT THE CULTS SPREAD AND TOOK ON ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. THERE IS NOTHING DULL ABOUT SPIRITUAL GROWTH. THE NEED IS TO BECOME MORE JOYOUS AND EXPANSIVE, NOT MORE SOMBER AND INTROVERTED.

Is _____ a Warrior or a King?

THERE IS A CERTAIN AURA OF NOBLE TRANQUILLITY PRESENT IN KINGS THAT IS NOTABLY LACKING IN WARRIORS. THE KING COMMANDS RESPECT BY HIS PRESENCE ALONE, THE WARRIOR OFTEN BY FORCE OF PERSONALITY. WARRIORS ARE GENERALLY MUCH MORE LOUD. KINGS NORMALLY SPEAK SOFTLY. THIS MAN HAS A REGAL BEARING, BUT IT IS HIS DYNAMIC PERSONALITY THAT ATTRACTS. THE FOLLOWERS OF KINGS ARE LOYAL TO A GREAT DEGREE, AND IT DOES NOT DEPEND USUALLY ON THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THE CAUSE. MANY WHO FOLLOWED ALEXANDER [the Great] TO BATTLE DID NOT AGREE WITH HIM, BUT WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED HIM INTO EXILE JUST AS WILLINGLY. WARRIORS CAN ONLY LEAD AS LONG AS THEIR CAUSE IS A POPULAR ONE.

Would it not be a good idea to have a different name than “Slave” for this Role?

DO YOU APPROVE OF ”SERVERS”?

A SIXTH LEVEL MATURE SOUL CAN BE A MELLOW LEVEL.

SAGES ARE FAR MORE EXUBERANT [than artisans], EVEN THOSE IN REJECTION. SAGES IN ORDINAL GOALS SOMETIMES ARE OBNOXIOUS. THIS PRODUCES MANY MARTYRS, NEEDLESSLY, PARTICULARLY WITH SAGES IN SUBMISSION.

Can we pull the group together by having more social life?

WE ARE GRATIFIED THAT OUR MESSAGE TOOK ROOT THIS RAPIDLY. SEEMS THAT MOST GROUPS PURPORTED TO BE ON THE PATH HAVE MUCH SOMBERNESS IN COMMON. PERHAPS THIS IS WHY THE RATE OF FAILURE IS SO ALARMINGLY HIGH. THIS TEACHING SHOULD EVENTUALLY FREE YOU FROM THE YOKE OF COLLECTIVE GUILT, THEN THE SOBER AFFECT WILL BE EVEN MORE INAPPROPRIATE. LEARN JOY NOW AND IT WILL NOT BE SUCH A SHOCK THEN.

Could you enlarge on that comment?

THE CULTURE PLACES THE LOAD OF GUILT RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF THE CHILD WHERE IT MUST EITHER TRIP OVER IT OR STOP SHORT OF ALL UNDERSTANDING. THE CHILD EVENTUALLY SHOULDERS PART OF THIS, EITHER WILLINGLY OR NOT, AND CARRIES IT THROUGH LIFE, UNLESS IT HAPPENS TO MEET WITH A TEACHING THAT SHOWS IT THAT THERE IS NO GUILT. THIS CULTURE IS GUILTY VAGUELY OVERTLY ABOUT ALL THINGS THAT SEEM LIGHT AND AIRY. THE EMPHASIS IS ON WORK, AND THEN POSSIBLY YOU MAY GO ON TO ANOTHER BETTER PLACE WHERE YOU WON’T HAVE TO WORK SO HARD — AND OF COURSE YOU STUDENTS REALIZE THAT THIS IS NONSENSE. IN FACT, THE LOAD OF TOIL HOLDS YOU BACK RATHER THAN ENHANCING YOUR WORK TOWARDS SPIRITUAL GROWTH. SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE VERIFIED THIS FOR YOURSELVES. THE EMPHASIS ON OTHERWORLDLINESS HAS BECOME MIRED IN FALSE CONCEPTS. WE WOULD POINT OUT TO YOU THE ATTITUDES OF THE ANCIENT GREEK CIVILIZATION CENTERED IN ATHENS TOWARD SEXUALITY, FOR INSTANCE. SEX WAS JUST NOT A “HEAVY” SUBJECT TO THEM. CONSEQUENTLY THEY ENJOYED IT A WHOLE LOT MORE. THEY DID NOT ANALYZE. WE POINT OUT TO YOU THAT SOPHOCLES [an Athenian poet] LIVED DURING A LATER PERIOD THAN WE ARE NOW DISCUSSING; BY THAT TIME THE ENDLESS ANALYSES HAD BEGUN. FOR INSTANCE, IN ANCIENT ATHENS, WOMEN AND MEN ONLY FELT “CHEATED UPON” IF THE PARTNER DALLIED WITH SOMEONE THEY COULD NOT LOVE ALSO — THEN THEY FELT OUTRAGED. IT WAS CONSIDERED A COMPLEMENT IF YOUR HUSBAND OR WIFE REALLY LOVED YOUR BEST FRIEND IN THIS WAY.

Christ and the Jewish people stopped the Bacchanals and they had much gluttony.

WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO PONDER UPON THAT FOR AWHILE AND COMPARE IT TO THE PREVALENT ATTITUDES TODAY.

In the new Overleaf of Goals, I hear them as judgmental in that there are three “exalted” Goals and three “subordinate” Goals, and a “neutral” Goal.

THIS IS TRUE OF ALL OF THE OVERLEAVES. IT [variation of Goals in different lifetimes] NORMALLY GIVES ALL SOULS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE ALL OF LIFE IN THE ROLES, WHICH ARE STATIONARY [don’t change]. IT [Role] DOES NOT HAVE QUITE THE SAME IMPACT AS IN THE OTHER OVERLEAVES; IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT THE SOULS IN ORDINAL ROLES TEND TO BE THE DOERS RATHER THAN THE SITTERS AND THINKERS [like the exalted Roles].

I see karma as a vicious circle. If one kills someone in another life, then he has to be killed or persecuted in another life. If I don’t pay in the next life, I pay by being killed. How can you stop it?

ONCE THE DEBT IS PAID, THE CIRCLE STOPS.

If you could be like Christ and turn the other cheek, would that stop the karma?

THAT IS VALID. IT IS ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE RIBBON WITHOUT THE HOSTILE ACTION.

You can stop the karmic ribbon by forgiving the person for what he’s done.

Why is it that when Michael tells us we lived before, it was always in Western Europe? Half the population of the world is in China or Russia. How can this be that our background is predominantly European?

YOU HAVE ALL BEEN BLACK AND ALL HAVE BEEN ORIENTAL. THE REASON WE EMPHASIZE ROME NOW IS BECAUSE OF THE PARALLEL TIME FRAME, AND THE REASONS YOU ARE NOW COMING TOGETHER AGAIN TO HEAR A TEACHING YOU ALL HEARD BEFORE. ONE OF YOU LIVED IN THE TIME OF THE MANIFESTATION OF LAO TSU.

From reading the last notes, I see only three reasons for obesity. I can eliminate the cultural diet, and I’m not in rejection, so it must be a sexual conflict.

YOU ARE A VICTIM OF YOUR CULTURAL DIETARY EXTRAVAGANCE. WE SEE SOME SEX CONFLICT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO PUT ON THE POUNDS.

I would like to ask about an eleven year old girl who is dieing of cancer. Is there anything that we can do?

THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN “DO” TO ALTER THE KARMA OF OTHERS: THIS IS UNALTERABLE REGARDLESS OF THE ACCEPTANCE GOAL [of yours].

Periodically, I have a strange, cold feeling in the center of my forehead. It is as if someone is blowing cold air on that spot. It is not frightening, and I have felt it with my hands and it is not cold. Is this something from past lives or something psychic or what?

IT IS YOUR INVITATION TO LEAVE THE BODY.

Could Michael suggest a book that would be right for me to read now?

THE BOOK THAT WOULD HELP THE MOST AT THIS MOMENT WOULD BE “THE FAITH OF EPICURUS”.

Who is the author?

THE AUTHOR IS NOT IMPORTANT. IT IS THE INSTRUMENT WORTHWHILE — THE AUTHOR WAS AN INSTRUMENT. YOU MIGHT START READING [Kurt] VONNEGUT.

I am an insomniac and I go through my daily troubles trying to figure out why I can’t go to sleep. Is there any comment?

THE NEXT TIME YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SLEEPLESSNESS, TRY GETTING UP AND DOING SOME PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY. DON’T JUST LIE THERE AND STEW. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SLEEP EVERY NIGHT.